New research published in Nature (July 15, 2026) concludes that transforming global food systems would benefit both population and planetary health, but farmers need support to adapt to fundamental changes (Gibson et al., 2026; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 2026).
More specifically, the authors found that, “[f]ollowing recommendations to shift to healthier diets, improve farm productivity and halve food waste, could reduce global agricultural land use by up to 6% by 2050 and lead to a 42% decline ($630 billion) in global livestock production value compared to 2020.
Implementing the changes by 2050 would also lead to an estimated 70% ($274bn) decrease in the production value of ruminant animals (beef cattle, sheep, and goats) and 400 million fewer ruminant animals globally compared to 2020. In contrast the global value of vegetable, fruit, nut and legume production would increase by 57% ($890bn)….” (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 2026)
[Furthermore], “the new analysis shows that following the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission recommendations could also see agriculture related net-CO2 emissions from land-use change fall by 85% by 2050 compared to 2020 levels.” (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 2026). Lack of affordability and access to the foods that are recommended in the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet are discussed in this new research article, particularly for people residing in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). For example, the authors of this new research note that:
“Another impediment is consumer behaviour, which in our scenario assumed a costless consumer preference shift towards healthy diets. In reality, there are challenges to changing consumer behaviour including questions of accessibility and affordability, as well as engaging with broader food cultures and individual tastes that all contribute to dietary choices54. Although the challenges are immense and raise serious questions over the feasibility of achieving such changes by 2050, the potential of substantial positive change should not be discounted, for example through social tipping points55 or health innovation (for example, GLP-1 (ref. 56)).
This study does not explicitly contend with questions of consumer affordability, but some studies have assessed that a current EAT–Lancet diet could be more affordable for many in high-income countries but less affordable for many in lower-middle and low-income countries57. However, recent modelling suggests that an EAT–Lancet diet achieved by 2050 alongside reductions in FLW [food loss and waste] and projected per capita incomes rising faster than food prices, could be less expensive globally on average than BAU projected diets58 and, in a similar vein, we find that (producer) prices would be lower relative to BAU projections.
The global food systems transformation explored here fundamentally breaks with several historical trends (for example, on land use, and agricultural production and its value). Such a transformation would pose substantial political economy challenges with costs that are often concentrated (for example, the livestock sector) and benefits more diffuse (for example, general improvement of public health). Bold policy decisions in the present can shape and shield who wins and who loses in such a food systems future.” (p. 7) (Gibson et al., 2026)
See below for more information on the individual food/dietary recommendations for the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet as well as a visual representation of this diet via The Planetary Health Plate.
The EAT-Lancet planetary heath diet
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026
The newly released report titled, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 that was on July 21, 2026, reiterates the importance of addressing the high costs of a healthy diet (FAO et al., 2026)
As noted by David Laborde at the FAO (in the Agrifood Economics and Policy Division, [ESA]):
“While the global average cost of a healthy diet reached PPP $4.28 per day in 2025, this single number masks massive regional disparities….
The reality is that the cost of nutritious food is driven by structural, 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀.
Here is why the price of a healthy diet varies so drastically depending on where you live:
🍅 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 (𝗟𝗔𝗖): 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬, LAC faces the highest average cost of healthy diet (CoHD) in the world at 4.91 PPP dollars per day.
The main culprit? Exceptionally expensive vegetables. Severe logistical friction and poor midstream efficiency disproportionately inflate the retail price of highly perishable produce before it even reaches the consumer.
🥩 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘐𝘯 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢, animal-source foods (like meat and dairy) are by far the most expensive food group, with nearly 70% of countries falling into the highest cost tier globally. This is driven by low baseline productivity, high feed costs, and a lack of veterinary services, compounded by massive physical food losses due to weak cold chains
🥭 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬, Fruits are the highest-cost food group in Asia. This is heavily tied to supply chain inefficiencies. Because fruits are highly perishable, the lack of packhouses, inadequate cold storage, and weak rural-urban transport links lead to massive post-harvest losses, driving up the retail price of the surviving fruit.
👩🌾 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘐𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦, Northern America, and Oceania, starchy staples and animal-source foods are structurally cheap due to decades of policy support and capital-intensive systems. However, fresh produce remains expensive. Why? Because fruits and vegetables are highly labor-intensive to harvest and cannot be so easily mechanized, making their prices highly sensitive to the high wages in these economies.
🛃 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 plays another cruel trick: Landlocked Developing Countries face import logistics costs that are 79% higher than coastal nations in the same region.
💡𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: Because the drivers of food costs vary so drastically, there is no universal “silver bullet” to fix the problem.”
Lowering the cost of a healthy diet requires highly targeted, region-specific interventions. (Laborde, July 17, 2026)
References
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026. Understanding the high cost of a healthy diet. July 21, 2026. Rome. Available at: https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/7eb22402-860f-4212-922f-55941aed4a27
Gibson, M., Sundiang, M., Mason-D’Croz, D. et al. Food systems transformation would reshape global agriculture. Nature; 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10775-2
Laborde D. Agrifood Economics and Policy division (ESA), FAO. LinkedIn Post. July 17, 2026.
Shift to healthy, sustainable diets would reshape global agriculture. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. July 15, 2026. Available at: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2026/shift-healthy-sustainable-diets-would-reshape-global-agriculture
Sustainable RDN 